William Denis Whitaker CM DSO (2) DSC was born at Calgary Alberta, son of Guy S. Whitaker of Galt Ontario (ON) and Bertha (Moore) Whitaker of Peterborough ON. His father was an army major who was fortunate enough to return alive from WW1. Denis Whitaker was educated at University of Toronto Schools and from 1936 to 1937, at the Royal Military College (RMC), Kingston ON.
From 1937 to 1939, prior to WW2, he was an assistant manager at the Stanley Works of Canada in Hamilton ON, and supplemented the salary from his day job, by playing quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger Cats football team. As soon as war was declared in 1939, Whitaker was mobilized with the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI), as a lieutenant commanding a Bren Gun Carrier platoon.
As Captain in the Dieppe raid on August 19th 1942 he led his 30-man platoon to capture the beachfront casino. His troops stormed the beachfront casino in hand to hand fighting and dashed across the deadly plaza behind it, raked by enemy fire and into the town, before he realized that going any further would be suicide. He pulled his men back to the beach, organized a defense and waited, deluged with shells, mortars and machine gun bullets, until landing craft lifted the survivors to safety for the return trip to their base in England. He received his first Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his skill and courage and initiative during the Dieppe raid.
